Coldplay are still touring hard all around the world in support of their massive fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends / Prospekt’s March, all the while preparing for ANOTHER album that is supposed to hit shelves later this year.

I guess Chris Martin is really trying to squeeze as much as he can from his band, because wasn’t it the blue-eyed Coldplay frontman who said, “I’m 31 now and I don’t think that bands should keep going past 33.” Either way, I’m excited at the chance to catch Coldplay live again — they’re truly fantastic. I’m equally excited to hear another album from the band in the upcoming months.

I guess a good middle-ground for the two is this new, free live EP that Coldplay has begun to hand out at their shows. For those not lucky enough to catch them live, the band is now giving the EP for free online. Coldplay are a bunch of stand-up guys, aren’t they?

I uploaded this onto my iPod as soon as it finished downloading and I’ve been running through the songs all weekend long. I’m not a huge fan of live albums, but sometimes these live albums are beyond words. It has a lot to do with the band, but even more with the crowd. There is such a thing as too much crowd participating, but no one likes a dead crowd either. On Left Right Left Right Left, Coldplay have found the perfect magnitude of cheering, yelling, and singing along in this crowd. The EP runs a delightful and generous 9 tracks spanning Coldplay classics (“Clocks,” “Fix You”), Viva highlights (“42,” “Strawberry Swing,” “Viva La Vida”), and Prospekt’s March filler.

The EP opens up with said Prospekt’s March filler, “Glass Of Water,” and ironically, it’s one of the best tracks on the EP. The song opens up to a roaring crowd silenced by a combination of stuttering keys, electric guitar and Chris Martin’s voice. Crowd participation is limited to light cheering. I’m assuming not everyone in the house has Prospekt’s songs memorized like they do Viva La Vida. All that’s about to change.

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Shockingly, the crowd did not go wild when “Viva La Vida”‘s oh-so familiar string arrangement permeated form the stage. Definitely a show highlight, this rendition of the upbeat “Viva La Vida” depicts a crowd having the time of their lives bobbing around and singing along to 2008’s biggest hit. “Viva La Vida” is a particularly great song to see performed live. Chris Martin’s captivating stage presence is made known through awkward dancing and erratic jumping about the stage. If you saw this year’s GRAMMYs, you know what I’m talking about (and if you didn’t, watch this).

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You don’t feel the crowd loose complete control until one of the world’s most recognizable piano melodies resonates throughout the sold-out arena. “Clocks” has always been my favorite Coldplay track, as well as a personal all-time favorite. Looking back at the times I’ve seen Coldplay live, I recall fire in Chris Martin’s eyes. You can’t see them now, but by listening to this live rendition of the career-defining “Clocks,” you can feel the band’s passion. This is a band still excited about what they do every night, tens of millions in album sales later. What more can you ask for?

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To enter to win a copy of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March [Deluxe Editon], leave a comment with your thoughts on the live EP. Make sure you leave your name/email address in the provided fields! Entries will be accepted until May 25th